Pneumatic actuating device.



UNITED STATES Patented December 8, 1903.

PATENT OFFICE.

GEORGE S. WILLIAMS, OF NORFOLK, VIRGINIA, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO J. SAUNDERS TAYLOR, OF NORFOLK, VIRGINIA.

PNEUMATIC ACTUATING DEVICE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 746,220, dated December 8, 1903.

Application filed February 21, 1903. Serial No. 144,520. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, GEORGE S. WILLIAMS, a citizen of the United States, residing at Norfolk, in the county of Norfolk and State of Virginia, have invented new and useful Improvements in Pneumatic Actuating Devices, of which the following is a specification.

My present invention relates to a new and improved pneumatic actuating device; and it has for its objects to provide a device of this character that will be simple in construction, inexpensive to manufacture, and quick, positive, and reliable in operation.

One object of the invention is to provide a [5 pneumatic actuating device wherein are employed two air-chests that are subjected to unequal air tensions, which are caused to act upon-and operate a diaphragm in a quick, positive, and reliable manner, said diaphragm in turn being caused to actuate any suitable device.

By the term air-chests that are subjected to unequal tensions I mean to convey the idea that I may employ air-chests that are either under a state of air-pressure or a state of air-exhaust, thereby enabling the apparatus to be operated either by a pressure or an exhaust bellows.

As a further object my invention has to dispense with the use of springs, gravity, or any other force than air to assistin its operation, thereby eliminating the objectionable features found in other devices of this class and giving a quicker, more positive, and more reliable action.

As afurther object myinvention has to provide a device which can be adapted to operate any form of mechanism requiringa short, quick, and positive action and can be made in any form or size, according to the nature of the work and the power required.

In the accompanying drawings I show one of the many forms of its application, in which case the diaphragm is caused to throw a shoe 5 on and ofi a revolving cylinder, a mechanism common in many of the arts. I do not wish to be understood, however, as limiting myself to this specific application of the invention, as it will be obvious that the same may be applied to other uses without departing from the spirit of the invention.

I will now proceed to describe my invention in detail, making frequent reference to the accompanying drawings, which are as follows:

Figure 1 is a vertical longitudinal section showing the arrangement of air-chests, airchamber, diaphragm, and air connections. Fig. 2 is a front view of the same, with partial transverse section and interior view of air-chest. Fig.3isalsoaverticallongitudinal section showing the device operating a simple form of shoe and cylinder mechanism Fig.

4 is a modified form of the device wherein a perforated music-sheet is employed to control the air-passage to the atmosphere. Fig. 5 shows the low-tension bellows when collapsed to the point when the check-valve shuts off the connection with other bellows and airpump.

Referencen u merals are used to indicate the various parts, and similar numerals indicate corresponding parts.

The first part of my invention is shown in Fig. 1 of the accompanying drawings and consists of a diaphragm 10, which can be made of any suitable material. The size and shape of this diaphragm depends upon the work to be done, that shown in the drawings being a simple form made of a light cloth fitted over a circular opening. To this diaphragm is attached a rod 7 to transmit the motion of the diaphragm. This rod can pass out through either air-chest 1 or air-chest 2, according to the work to be done and the direction of stroke desired. On one side of this diaphragm is the air-chest 2, designated the low-tension chest, which is maintained at a specified tension by connection with a bellows, as shown in the drawings, and if an exhaust-bellows is 0 employed exerts acontinuous pull on this side of the diaphragm. This tension and pull can be varied to suit the work to be performed and is determined by the spring in the bellows, presently to be described, with which 5 it is connected. On the opposite side of this diaphragm is a small air-chamber 3. This air-chamber communicates with the atmosphere by the windway 4, that is controlled by a valve 5 of any suitable construction, and ro.

also with the second air-chest 1 by the opening 6. The windway l from this air-chamher 3 to the atmosphere must be as large or larger than the opening 6 from the air-chamher 3 to the air-chest 1. The tension in airchest 1 must be greater than in air-chest 2, and these tensions may be maintained by connections with a high and a low tension bellows, as shown in the drawings, through the connections 8 and 9.

The second part of my invention, which is shown in Fig. 1, comprises a novel method of obtaining two unequal air tensions in separate bellows by the use of one air-pump operating on the stronger bellows. An ordinary type of exhaust-bellows 11 is attached to and connected with the air-chest 12 by the openings 22, from which the air is drawn by the air-pump 13, of the ordinary bellows type, through the openings 23. In this bellows is a spring 18, which determines the tension, and also an escape-valve 20, which is operated by the pin 21 to open when the bellows is collapsed beyond the proper working point, thus maintaining the desired tension in the bellows. Connected with this bellows by the windway 17 is a second bellows 14 of the same ordinary exhaust type, which is attached to and connected with the double-compartment air-chest 15 and 1G by the openings 25 and 26, as shown in the drawings. The air is drawn from the compartment 15 by the airpump 13 through the windway 1'7 and exhausts the bellows 14 through the opening 25. The tension in this bellows is determined by the spring 19, and attached to the movable side of this bellows is a check-valve consisting of the movable cone 27, sliding on the guide-pin 28 and supported in position by a coil-spring 29, which is adjusted to close the opening 25 when the bellows is exhausted to the proper working point. Fig. 5 shows the bellows in this position, with the check-cone 27 closing the opening 25, thus shutting off the connection with the other bellows and airpump and maintaining the desired tension in bellows 14. The tension in compartment 16 is the same as in the bellows 14 by reason of the opening 26 connecting the two. By varying the strength of the springs 18 and 19 the tensions in these two bellows can be adjusted to any desired power, the tension in 11 being greater than in 14.

The air-chest l communicates with the bellows 11 and the air-chest 2 communicates with the bellows 14 by the pipe connections 8 and 9, as shown in Fig. 1 of the drawings.

Having fully described my invention, I will now demonstrate the principles of its operation.

When the windway 4 is closed, as shown in Fig. l, the tension in the air-chamber 3 is the same as in air-chest l by reason of the opening 6 connecting the two and being greater than. the tension in air-chest 2. The diaphragm 10 is drawn over toward 3 with a force depending upon the difference in tensions between 1 and 2 and the surface area of the diaphragm exposed to the tension. When the valve 5 is open, as in Fig. 3, air is admitted into the air-chamber 3 through the windway 4, and the said windway being as large or larger than the opening 0 supplies all the air that can pass through 6 and thereby releases the tension in air-chamber The tension in chamber 3 being released the diaphragm is drawn over toward air-chest 2 with the full power of the tension in 2. This is the power-stroke of the diaphragm and is the result of the opening of 5 by any desired means, according to the use to which my invention is adopted, whether this be a valve, as shown in Fig. 3, or a perforated musicsheet 30, as shown in Fig. 4. In the drawings, Fig. 3, the diaphragm is shown as operating a common form of mechanism by throwing a shoe 36 on a revolving cylinder 32. The rod 7 is connected to one arm of the elbow 33, which is pivoted at 34. The other end of this elbow is attached to the rod 35, carrying the shoe 36, as shown in the drawings. To the upper end of this rod 36 is attached the lever 37 to transmit the motion for any purpose desired. Vhen the diaphragm 10 is drawn over by tension in airchest 2, as shown in Fig. 3, the shoe is dropped onto the cylinder 32 and revolves with it, be ing pivoted at 38, the upper end of the rod 35 being thrown in the opposite direction and carrying with it the lever 37, which transmits the motion. As soon as the windway 4 is closed by the valve 5 the tension in the airchamber 3 is again the same as in air-chest 1, and being greater than in air-chest 2 the diaphragm is again drawn back into its original position, as shown in Fig. 1. It will thus be seen that the moment 5 is opened the diaphragm is operated with a force depending upon the tension in air-chest 2 and the surface area of the diaphragm exposed to it and will continue to operate with that force so long as the windway4 is open. The moment 4 is closed the diaphragm will be released from this position and assume the original position. (Shown in Fig. 1.)

In the foregoing specification and in the drawings I have described and shown a construction wherein the air tensions are caused to act upon a diaphragm, and I wish it understood that the word diaphragm is used in its broad sense to covera partition, bellows, or hinged flap of any size, shape, or material that will properly respond to the air tensions.

Having fully described my invention and the principles of its operation, I now make the following claims and ask for Letters Patent covering the same:

1. The combination of two air-chests of unequal tensions, an air-chamber communicating by one opening with the hightension airchest and with the atmosphere by another opening aslarge orlarger than the firstna med opening, means for controlling the opening to the atmosphere, a diaphragm between the air-chamber and the low-tension air-chest, and means for transmitting the motion of the diaphragm to a part to be actuated.

2. The combination of two air-chests of unequal tensions, an air-chamber communicating by one opening with the high-tension airchest and by another opening with the atmosphere, means for controlling said last-named opening, a diaphragm between the air-chamber and the low-tension air-chest, and a rod attached to said diaphragm and passing out through one of the said air-chests to transmit the motion of the diaphragm to a part to be actuated.

3. In combination with two air-chests, an air-chamber communicating by an opening with one chestand with the atmosphere by another opening as large or larger than the opening in the air-chest, means for controlling the opening to the atmosphere, a diaphragm between the air-chamber and the other air-chest, of two bellows of unequal tension, for the purpose of maintaining the two air-chests at unequal tensions, and means for transmitting the motion imparted to the diaphragm, substantially as and for the purposes shown.

4. The combination of two communicating bellows of unequal tension, an air-pump on the high-tension bellows, and check-valve consisting of a movable cone, sliding on a guide-pin, and supported by a coil-spring, attached to the movable side of the low-tension bellows in such a manner as to shut oif the connection from the air-pump on the hightension bellows to the low-tension bellows when said bellows is collapsed to the proper working point, substantially as and for the purposes shown.

5. In a pneumatic actuating device, ahightension wind-chest, a low-tension wind-chest, a diaphragm having its opposite faces exposed respectively to said wind-chest, a windway communicating with said high-tension chest and with the atmosphere, means for controlling said windway, and a rod for transmitting motion having a connection with said diaphragm.

6. In a pneumatic actuating device, a hightension wind-chest, a low-tension wind-chest, a diaphragm having its opposite faces exposed respectively to the action of said wind-chests, means for transmitting the motion of said diaphragm to a part to be actuated, a windway communicating with said high-tension chest and with the atmosphere, means for controlling said windwav, and high and low tension bellows communicating respectively with said high and low tension wind-chests.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in presence of two subscribing witnesses.

GEORGE S. WILLIAMS.

Witnesses:

ERNEST M. WASHINGTON, THEODORICK A. WILLIAMs. 

